"You're a vampire now. Body'll be fine and dandy before you know it."
"Not the point. Marissa is going to kill us both for brawling."
V winced. "Crap. That's gonna leave a stain, true?"
"Yup, yup." Butch hobbled off. "She's going to knock our heads."
V glanced up to the condo's second story and couldn't decide whether it was a good or a bad sign that there were no lights on. Closing his eyes, he prayed that the Porsche was gone… even though he had no expectation that it would be. Man, Butch was right. Him hanging here was a situation with police tape around it. This needed to be the last time—
"He's gone," Butch said.
V exhaled like he was a tire deflating, then realized he'd gotten a reprieve only for tonight. Sooner or later she was going to be with someone else.
Sooner or later she was probably going to be with that other doctor.
V lifted his head, then slammed it back down into the frozen ground. "I don't think I can do this. I don't think I can live without her."
"Do you have a choice?"
Nope, he thought. No choice at all.
Come to think of it, that word shouldn't be applied to people's destinies. Ever. Choice should be relegated to TV and meals: You could choose NBC over CBS or steak instead of chicken. But take the concept any further than the stove or the remote control and the word just didn't apply.
"Go home, Butch. I'm not going to do anything stupid."
"Stupider, you mean."
"Semantics are for shit."
"As you're someone who speaks sixteen languages, you know that's a lie." Butch took a deep breath and waited. "I guess I'll see you back at the Pit, then."
"Yup." V got to his feet. "I'll be back in a while."
Jane rolled over in her bed, her instincts waking her.
Someone was in her room. She sat up, heart pounding, and saw nothing. Then again, shadows cast by the hall light offered plenty of hiding places behind the bureau and the half-open door and the stuffed chair by the window.
"Who's there?"#p#分页标题#e#
No answer came, but she was definitely not alone.
She wished she hadn't gone to bed naked.
"Who's there?"
Nothing. Just the sound of her own breath.
She curled her hands tight on the duvet and took a deep breath. God… there was a marvelous smell in the air… rich and sultry, sexual and possessive. She breathed in again, and her brain flickered, recognizing it. It was a man's scent. No… this was more than a man.
"I know you." Her body warmed instantly, blooming—but then heartbreak landed, a pain so great she gasped. "Oh, God… you…"
The headache came back, crushing her skull, making her vow to get that CAT scan ASAP. With a moan she grabbed onto her head, bracing herself against what was probably going to be hours of agony.
Except almost immediately the pain floated away… and so did she. A blanket of sleep eased over her, coated her, calmed her.
Right after it landed, a man's hand touched her hair. Her face. Her mouth.
His warmth and love healed the bottomless pit in the center of her chest: It was as if her life had been in a car wreck, but now her parts were put back together, her engine rebuilt, her bumper reattached, her broken windshield replaced.
Except then the touch left her.
In the dream she reached out blindly. "Stay with me. Please stay with me."
A big palm enveloped her hand, but the answer was going to be no. Though the man didn't say a thing, she knew he wouldn't stay.
"Please…" Tears welled. "Don't go."
As her hand was dropped, she cried out and reached forward—
The covers rustled and cold air rushed in, as did a mammoth male body. In desperation she grafted herself to the hard warmth and buried her face in a neck that smelled of those dark spices. Thick arms shot around her and held her tight.
When she burrowed even closer… she felt an erection.
In the dream Jane moved fast and decisively, as if she had every right in the world to do what she did. She shot her hand down between them and gripped that straining length.
As the big body jerked, she said, "Give me what I want."
Man, did he ever.
She was flipped onto her back then her legs were spread and her core covered with a heavy hand. She came immediately, torquing up off the mattress, crying out. Before the sensations faded, the sheets were tossed from the bed and a mouth was on her between her thighs. She grabbed onto thick, luxurious hair and gave herself up to what he did to her.
While she orgasmed for the second time, he pulled back. There was the sound of clothes being pushed down and then—
Jane cursed as she was filled nearly to the point of pain, but she loved what was happening… especially as a mouth came down on hers and the erection inside of her started to move. She grabbed onto a surging back and followed the rhythm of the sex.